Target.



No. 794,601. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

T. S. FORD & J. L. WHINERY.

TARGET. APPLIUATIGN FILED MAB. s, 1904.

Witnesses UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

TRACE S. FORD AND JAMES L. WHINERY, OF MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA.

TARGET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. I794,601, dated July 11, 1905,

Application filed March 8, 1904,. Serial No. 197,111.

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that we, TRACE S. FORD and JAMES L. WHINERY, citizens of the United States, residing at Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Target, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to targets, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character which is capable of retaining the projectiles which are directed thereagainst, wherefore it will be understood that the target is especially designed for use within doors.

OAnother object of the invention is to produce one or more duplicate copies accurately indicating the position of the hits made upon the target.

A still further object is to provide for aud ibly indicating a bulls-eye hit and provide for rendering this audible signal inactive whenever desired.

With these and .other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a target embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the target. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings. u

The frame of the device of the present invention is in the nature of a box having a base or bottom l, from which rise opposite side pieces 2, which are preferably in the form of isosceles triangles, and a back 3, secured to the rear edges of the side pieces, and therefore inclined upwardly and forwardly. The front of the box is open except for a lower cross bar or plate 4, which serves to brace the side pieces and also cooperate with said side pieces and the back to constitute a pocket or receptacle for retaining the projectiles directed against the target, as will be hereinafter explained. It will be noted that the base projects a suitable distance in front and rear of the target-box, so as to form a stable support therefor.

VThe'field of the target or the target proper is indicated at 5 and is in the nature'of a suitable flexible sheet, preferably canvas or some such strong and durable material. This target member is fitted to the front side of the back 3, with its opposite upright edges tacked or otherwise detachably secured to upright spacing-strips 6, secured to the front of the back adjacent the inner faces of the opposite side pieces 2. Interposed between the target proper and the back of the box is a recordsheet 7, having a duplicate target field or face thereon, and interposed between the target and the record-sheet is a transfer element, such as a carbon-sheet 8, which, together with the record-sheet, is insertible and removable through the open top of the space between the target-field and the back 3. If desired, instead of a removable transfer-sheet the carbon or other transfer material may be carried by the back of the target-sheet. For the support of the transfer-sheet and the carbon-sheet a shoulder, strip, or ledge 9 is carried by the front of the back to close the bottom of the space between the target-sheet and the back and upon which the record and transfer sheets are designed to rest. By this arrangementit will be understood that every hit upon the target-sheet will be transferred to the recordsheet through the medium of the transfer element, thereby producing a duplicate of the target proper after being subjected to any number of hits. Should more than one record-sheet be desired, it is of course apparent that a plurality of alternately-arranged carbon and record sheets may be fitted between the target proper and the stationary back.

[t is preferred to have the iiexible target proper detachably connected to the back in order that it may be replaced after it has become worn or damaged, and while any detachable fastening means may be employed IOO we prefer to use tacks as being inexpensive, readily applied and removed, and efficient for the support of the target-sheet.

By reason of the upward and forward inclination of the back a projectile striking the target will be defiected downwardly against the bottom of the box, as diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, from whence it will rebound against the front of the box and thence back to the bottom, where it will be retainedwithin the pocket or receptacle formed by the lower portion of the box or casing. This projectile-retaining feature renders the present device especially applicable for indoor shooting and is therefore perfectly safe as a.toy for children in shooting marbles, wooden arrows, darts, and the ike.

To audibly indicate when the bulls-eye is struck, we employ a sounding member, such as a'gong 10, carried by a shank or stem 11, projected rearwardly from the back 3, with a portion of the gong in alinement with the bulls-eye of the target. In the back 3 is formed an opening 12, within which works a clapper or striker 13, preferably consisting of the disk or circular piece which is removed from the back to form the opening 12. This striker or clapper is mounted to swing upon a suitable hinge 14, which connects the striker to the back, and at a point diametrically opposite the hinge there is a head or button 15, which is designed to strike the gong and give out an audible signal when the striker or clapper is swung rearwardly under the influence of the impact of a bulls-eye hit. At opposite sides of the clapper or striker are suitable turn-buttons 16, mounted upon the back and capable of being turned to overlap the striker or clapper, and thereby hold the same against rearward movement when it is desired to render the audible signal inactive. Normally these turn buttons are out of engagement with the striker, so as not to interfere with the swinging movements thereof.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

' 1. Atarget having a field inclined upwardly and forwardly, and a projectile receiving pocket located below the field to receive projectiles rebounding therefrom.

2. A target comprising a box or casing having an upwardly and forwardly inclined back, and a target-field carried by and inclined with the front of the back of the casing, the front of the casing having an opening to expose the field of the target, and the lower portion of the casing forming a projectile-receiving pocket for the reception of projectiles rebounding from the back of the casing.

3. A target embodying a casing made up of a base, opposite side pieces rising therefrom and having their rear edges inclined upwardly and forwardly, a back applied to and inclined with the rear edges of the side pieces, and a front extending across the lower portion only of the side pieces to produce an upper open front portion in the casing, and a target-field carried by and inclined with the front side of the back of the casing and exposed through the open front of said casing, the bottom p ortion of the casing below the open front thereof constituting a projectile-receiving pocket for the reception of projectiles rebounding from the back of the casing.

4. A target comprising a back, a Hexible target-field spaced in front of the back, and record and transfer elements located in the space between the back andthe target-field to receive the impact of hits and indicate the positions thereof on the record element.

5. A target comprising a back, a flexible target-field spaced in front of the back, the space between the field and the back being open at one edge, a transfer element within said space, and a record element capable of insertion and removalthrough the open edge of the space between the target-field and the back to receive the impact of hits and indicate the positions thereof.

6. A target having a back a replaceable flexible target-field spaced in front of the back, and replaceable transfer and record elements ldisposed between the back and the field to receive the impact of hits on the target to indicate the positions thereof on the record element.

7. A target, comprising a back, opposite strips carried by the front of the back, a flexible target-field detachably connected to the strips and thereby spaced from the back, and transfer and record elements located within the space between the target-field and the back to receive the impact of hits and locate the positions thereof on the record element.

8. A target having an audible-signal element in rear of the bulls-eye, a clapper disposed for actuation by bulls-eye hits, and means to render the clapper inactive.

9. A target having an audible-signal element in rear of the bulls-eye, a clapper disposed for actuation by bulls-eye hits, and a turn-button carried by the target and capable of' being turned to overlap the clapper and render the same inactive.

10. A target having a bulls-eye opening, an audible-signa1 element supported in rear of. the opening, a clapper normally occupying the bulls-eye opening, and means carried by the back to hold the clapper within the opening inactive under the impact of bulls-eye hits.

11. A target having a bulls-eye opening, a flexible target-field spaced in front of the opening with its bulls-eyel in alinement therewith, transfer and record elements located in the space between the target-field and the back, an audible-signal element carried by the back and disposed in rear of theopening therein, a

IOO

closure element normally lling the opening in the back and hinged to the latter to constitute a striker for the audible-signal element, and means carried by the back for engagement With the closure element to hold the latter against movement under the impact of bullseye hits.

12. A target comprising a field and a projectile-receiving pocket, the field being inclined across the open side of the pocket to deflect projectiles thereinto.

13. A target comprising a field and a projectile-receiving pocket, the pocket being open at its top, and the ijeld rising above and inolined forwardly across the open top of the pocket.

ln testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own We have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

TRACE S. FORD. JAMES L. WHINERY.

Witnesses:

T. D. EVANS, JAMES CAMMACK. 

